Author's Notes: YES! It's here! I am so excited for this Arc. Please let me know what you think, there will be a lot of bomb shells in these next few chapters!

So please enjoy and review.

(Back with Dib)

He wasn't left alone for very long, Zim stomped back in obviously in one of his moods.

"Stop sniveling." He snapped, as he reached the controls.

Din wiped the tears from his eyes, "I'm not sniveling." He muttered. "I'm...just gonna miss them." He admitted.

"Not to worry." Zim said. "I have decided to take you back."

"Wait...what?" Dib looks confused. "But you just said."

"I know." Zim said, and he did. Before he left Dib alone, he had full intention to continue on his journey, but...The more he thought about it, the idea of taking Dib to Irk terrified him. He would die there, Zim knew this! And If Zim died, Dib would be left alone at the hands of his people. And now that they knew he was the son of the rebel's second in command...

Dib seemed to read his mind. "No look, see." He flipped on his Irken disguise. "I can blend in."

"Dib?" Zim looked somewhat mordified. "How..."

"I found Tak's ship." Dib said. "I used it to learn about Irk and stuff."

"What?" Zim looked puzzled once more. "Tak's ship should have burned up upon entry." He was beginning to worry. Tak's escape pod was smaller than her ship, so it was possible the ship managed, but...If he was wrong about the ship...no! Tak was gone, if not she wouldn't have allowed Dib to have her ship...Right?

'And stuff?' Dib could have clawed his own tongue out. "Look I can read Irken." Dib reasoned. "Well mostly." He added. "And I even studied the culture..."

"It'll never work." Zim told him as he went back to the controls.

"Why not?! Because you say so!" Dib challenged.

"No because of your height!" Zim growled. "A drone can go unnoticed because he is short and unimportant." He explained. "Tall Irkens, like me...like you...we have purer Irken blood. Your stature would make you stick out. Even as a scientist with that height, the tallest would never leave you on some forgotten world to rot."

"Really?" Dib looked thoughtful. "What if there was something wrong with me?"

"Like what?" Zim challenged.

Dib took off his glasses. "I'm blind without these. Wearing something to improve my sight makes me damaged. The Tallest wouldn't want to admit a Taller can be disabled right?"

Zim chuckled; Dib had been expecting this argument. "It's very clever, but we Irkens just get new ocular implants."

"Wait, you can replace your eyes!" Dib exclaimed.

"See, my point exactly, you're not ready for this mission." Zim said as he finished his work. "It's a clever one I'll give you that. Invade Irk, pretending to be one of their soldiers, but you've got more research to do. You need to be fluent in Irken and you need to be able to speak it."

Dib wants to get frustrated, but he knows Zim has a point. He wasn't ready to sneak into Irk and spy on them. He also, wasn't ready to give up this argument, "But you can't, won't you lose time if we turn around."

"Usually, yes." Zim agreed. "But we happen to be close to a gas giant. If we rotate around it with the sonic thrusters at full capacity before engaging the H-drive. We can sling shot ourselves back to Earth in a matter of seconds."

"Really?" Dib was amazed, but then he looks worried. "Is that safe? I mean isn't sling-shotting risky?"

"Usually yes." Zim agreed. "The trick is to know when to deactivate the jump. Wait too long and you'll go too far."

Dib bites his lip, looking defeated. "So that's it then?" He asked as Zim's finger hovers over the button.

"What do you mean?" Zim asked.

"I just told you that I know everything, I saw your memories Zim. I know how you really feel." Dib argued.

"That's great Dib." Zim said not looking his way. "Now strap yourself in so we can get this over with."

"No! Dang it." Dib yelled. "Isn't there something you want to say to me? That's great! That's all you have to say?!"

"What is there to say Dib?" Zim yelled. "What do you need me to say? Do you want me to say I'm sorry? That I'm sorry I played with your emotions? That I'm sorry I endangered your world?"

"No! I want you to talk to me!" Dib yelled. "About...us." He falters at the end. "You feel things for me, and I feel..."

"What's the point?" Zim growled, strapping in, in front of the controls.

"What's the point?" Dib wanted to strangle him. "The point is we have feelings for each other, and we should talk about it."

"Why? What will it accomplish?" Zim argued. "You can't honestly think that it could ever work out-." Zim stopped as Dib bowed his head. 'Oh Irk, he did.' "Dib, let's be reasonable." He tried to explain. "We can't...it'll never work...you're a human and I'm...a monster."

Dib looked up at him.

"It would never work out. No one would ever accept it." Zim shook his head. "Now stop your nonsense and strap yourself in."

'Nonsense! How could he?' Dib felt his rage boil over. He was going to make Zim listen to him one way or the other! He marched over to him, next to the controls, "That's it!" He slammed his fist down...right on the button!

The predetermined coordinates that Zim punched in moments before, lurched the ship forward towards the gas giant.

Dib grabs onto the console to keep himself from being thrown violently against the wall.

"Dib!" Zim unbuckles his seat which is now further away from the controls. And with the help of his Pak legs anchors himself in place. "Dib press the blue button now!"

Dib wants to argue, but he knows that hurtling towards, and subsequently into a gas giant; is not a desired outcome. So, he takes one hand off the console and slaps the blue button; the thrusters activate, and the ship begins to orbit the planet.

Zim wrenches one of his Pak Legs free and takes a step forward, before he replaces the leg and wrenches out another. He then takes another unsteady step forward; he repeats this over and over as he makes his way to Dib.

The ship travels around the planet impossibly fast and moments later the thrusters are at full capacity.

"DIB PRESS THE PURPLE BUTTON." Zim has to scream to be heard. The thrusters are so loud.

Dib barely hears him, but he gets the idea, again there is no room for arguing. If he doesn't push the button they will be blended into soup. He slaps it and the H-drive is activated, and he goes flying backwards. The force was too great for him, and he was ill prepared. Now, Dib understood why he needed to be strapped in.

The ship slingshots around the gas giant and hurtles towards Earth.

Dib slams into the far wall so hard he sees stars but manages to stay conscious.

Zim has managed to stay mounted in place and begins to move for the controls. If he doesn't make it in time they could go too far forward! It's a snail's pace, and he knows he's not going to make it. He had one chance; he has to use his Pak legs to jump on the controls and deactivate the H-drive. It's risky, if he miss calculates, he'll miss the target and be thrown back with Dib. He readies himself and jumps.

He's right on target, Zim hooks one set of claws on the console while his other hand reaches for the controls. He presses the purple button a second time, and the jump comes to an abrupt halt.

Both Dib and Zim fall to the floor dazed.

Finally, Dib finds his bearings. "Sorry about that." He tries to stand.

Zim forces himself to shaking feet. "You miserable excuse for-" Zim's about to fall over, but Dib steadies himself onto the Irken.

The two use each other to stay up right.

"You, okay?" Dib asked looking worried.

'Okay?' Zim couldn't believe this. Dib nearly got himself killed and his first concern is Zim. Of course, Zim was fine, he would have survive regardless. His Irken body was much more equip to handle such things. "Me? For all we know you're bleeding internally!"

Dib laughed, he felt okay really, but he did hit the wall pretty hard. And if his brain got knocked around, he really would be able to tell. The body didn't really fell brain damage and it could take days for any damage to become apparent. "I think I'm okay." He told him. He happens to glance out the window and gasped. "Whoa."

"What?" Zim looks and sees it. "Oh...that's...New..."

It was Earth, but it was different. The planet was surrounded by large rings that looked strangely familiar to Zim. There was five of them in all, and they were circling around the planet with not one but six moons.

"This can't be right." Dib said looking at Zim's console. "Zim, I think this is broken. It says this is Earth!"

"Computer report!" Zim shouted.

Nothing...

"Computer!" Zim yelled.

"I think its offline." Dib said the obvious.

"Perfect." Zim walks over to Dib and punches a few keys on the console. "The main computer is fried and so are the H-drive and thrusters. We have no choice but to land here..." He looks back down at the planet below.

"But where is here?" Dib asked. "This can't really be Earth, can it?"

"Unidentified pilot, please identify yourself." A voice erupted from the Comms console. "I say again, unidentified pilot, please identify yourself."

Dib runs over. "This is uh, Dib Membrane speaking...over?" He had no idea what to say and he feels like an idiot.

"Dib-Captain? What are you doing in an unidentified vessel?" The voice sounds alarmed. "You are supposed to be grounded unless told otherwise."

"I..." Dib is now completely confused. Who was this person? What was she talking about? And more importantly, why did she sound so familiar?

"Is that Membrane?" A male voice exploded. "Is he joy riding again? I swear-" There is a muffled sound and then. "If Zim is with you I swear I will have you both court marshalled!"

"Uh..." Dib looks at Zim.

Zim is also completely thrown off. Who are these people? His Pak tells him the voices are familiar to him, but he can't place them.

"Unbelievable, why am I surprised. Well Commander Zim you can say goodbye to your position because this time-" There is a sound of a struggle and then. "Hey-"

"Dib, darling be a dear and land in docking bay 12, won't you?" Again, the voice is familiar.

"Uh..."

"Son listen to your mother." Another voice says.

Okay, this voice he knows. "DAD!?"

"Dib no arguing, you are in enough trouble as it is!" The first female voice growled. "Honestly how do you two keep sneaking off the planet!?"

Zim clears his throat and says. "Like we'd tell you." In the slyest voice he can muster.

"What are you doin?" Dib whispered.

"Play along." Zim whispered back.

"Don't you give me any sass soldier? If it were up to me you'd be in a test tube!" The male voice shouted.

"General!" Dib's mother yells.

"I will take it from here." An older female voice croaked. "Agent Moth-man, you and Wolf Spider are to report in NOW!"

"Mrs. Bitters?" Dib is now completely flabbergasted. Maybe he had damaged his brain after all.

"Of course, Right away...Sir." Zim answers and gets behind the controls.

"What in the world is going on?" Dib whispered.

"I don't know." Zim said. "But we have to do as they say, for now." He said. "This ship is too damaged to keep us alive out here much longer."

"Do you even know where you're going?" Dib asked.

"Nope." Zim snickered only for the controls to start working on their own.

"You two are not getting out of this so easily." The first female voice said. "Honestly Dib are you two trying to tick me off. I swear if you ruin today for me, I will make you pay!"

"Gaz?" Dib asked, astounded. "Is that you?"

"Of course, it is! What did you do hit your head!?" Gaz yelled.

"Actually, he did." Zim said.

"And as for you! I can't believe you two would pull a stunt like this." Gaz hissed.

"Really? Because I am not." Another voice says as the ship is guided robotically towards cargo bay 12. "By the way you might want to update this ship's security." It says. "I hack this thing in like seconds."

"Peg stop encouraging them." Gaz continued with her lecture. "This childish behavior has to stop."

"Oh, come on. Zim probably took this junk out on a test flight and forgot to clear it with Control." Peg said. "Right Zim?"

"Oh yeah…" Zim said dumbly. "I knew I was forgetting something."

"Seriously? You really thing General Hale is going to buy that one...AGAIN!" Gaz said. "You two are so dead."

The ship heads to one of the rings where a hatch door opens. The ship enters and comes to a stop as it doors open.

"Take the portal jump down to Command 7." Gaz said.

"Portal jump?" Dib asked as they exited the ship.

"This way." Zim said, he knew what a portal jump was, there were several on Irk. In fact there was several on many Irken worlds. He finds what he is looking for at the far side of the cargo bay. It's a console with a platform. When Dib joins him on the platform, Zim presses the button labeled Command7. "Remember, we have no idea what we are stepping into." Zim hissed lowly. "This could very well be some form of elaborate trap."

A trap. Dib had thought as much, but as a green beam shot out at them from the console and teleported them to their destination, he found himself doubting. What would be the point? Why show them an Earth they don't remember with voices that only barely sound recognizable.

He got his answer in the worse way possible.

"Dib?"

The two had teleported to what he could only assume was Command 7. It was a spacious room that looked more like a conference room with a long table and comfortable leather chairs.

Dib looks at a woman standing before them, she is taller than when he saw her last. She wears some sort of blue and red flight suit with the insignia of the Galactic Alliance over her heart. She also had her long lavender hair in a well-kept bun. "Gaz?"

"Dib?" Another voice echoed Gaz's.

Another woman steps into view, she was sitting at the table. She wears a similar flight suit as her partner, but hers also had a medical cross by the insignia of the Galactic. She also wore a lab coat and her once long blond hair was now cut short, Finally her green eyes were now framed by wired glasses.

"Peg?" Dib felt like his brain was turning into mush.

"Looks like you've shrunk." An all too familiar voice taunts.

Zim goes into defensive mode, his senses on high alert. He wheels around and sees her. "TAK!"

Tak smiles playfully as she walks in the room. "In fact, you both did." She looks at Dib confused.

"Okay this joke has gone far enough!" Zim growled his Pak legs are like daggers, as he stands in front of Dib protectively.

Tak looks confused. "What? You think I made you shrank?" She looks offended.

"They haven't shrunk." Peg said. "More like gotten younger." She looks thoughtful. She pulls out a tablet of sorts and pulls up a picture. "See this is Dib senior year."

"Okay, can someone please tell us what's going on?!" Dib exclaimed.

"Isn't it obvious?" Zim spat. "She's trying to fool us!" He points at Tak. "This is some elaborate scheme to stop me!"

"My Taller I assure you that I would do no such thing." Tak said slyly.

"Taller?" Dib asked.

Tak's grin drops, and she suddenly looks alarmed. "You, you hate when I call you that." Now she was in defensive mode. "Gaz, Peg stay behind me. This is obviously another attempt made by the Tallest."

"Are you sure?" Peg doesn't seem convinced. "They look as alarmed as we are."

Gaz looks at Dib as if trying to decide for herself. "I think Peg is right, I know my brother when I see him."

"Look could someone please explain-" Dib began.

Suddenly there is yelling in the hall, it's Dib's voice only it's not Dib talking.

"For the last time we didn't go into space!" The other Dib said. "We were down in the lab."

"Unhand me this instant!" It was Zim's voice, only again Zim was not speaking! "After all I've done for you humans this is the thanks I get!"

"Can it Zim, you two will be-" The door opens to an elderly gentleman. He had white hair cut in a military style and is flight suit sported four silver stars. His eyes widen as he takes in Dib and then Zim.

"General Hale?" A voice speaks.

General Hale clears his throat "Uh It would appear I was...mistaken."

"Oh, what was that?" Zim's voice, again it's not the Zim in the room talking. He's just out of sight, sounding as snarky as ever. "Did you say something? My hearing must be failing me."

"Zim!" Gaz snaps.

"What!" The voice yells.

General Hale step aside and Zim sees...HIMSELF!

A Taller, Much Taller Zim is standing in the hallway, the sneer on his face falls and his eyes widen. He was dressed in the same flight suit as the others, but his had the Irken insignia over his heart along with that of the Galactic Alliance.

Smaller Zim notices for the first time that Tak is wearing an identical flight suit.

Taller Zim's eyes fell on himself and then the younger Dib.

Dib blushed. "Hi..." he mumbled.

Suddenly understanding seems to fill the bigger Zim's eyes. "Hu Dib I remember what day it is."

"Yeah?" A voice taunts as it comes closer. "And what day is..."

Dib blinks as an older Dib comes into view, but he's a lot different than his younger self. He, like Zim is impossibly tall, he sports the same flight suit, but two silver bars rest on the sleeves, but perhaps the most striking feature of the other Dib was that he had a PAK!

It was silver with blue circles instead of pink and it rested on his back.

That wasn't the only diffrence however, Older Dib's scythe-like hair style had been replaced. Now it was longer and pulled back in a ponytail! Which actually looked really good on him. His face was clean shaven, and his glasses were no wear to be seen. "Oh, that day." He says.

"Yeah." Taller Zim clears his throat. "Do not be alarmed." He said looking at the smaller Zim with his weapons still drawn. He looks at Tak and scowls. "Tak, would you mind putting those away?"

Tak looks unsure but ultimately obey. "Sorry...Sir, but may I ask what is going on here?"

"Sir?" younger Zim looks to himself and then Tak and then back at himself. "Why is she calling us...you...SIR!"

"Our apologies." Older Dib looks sheepish. "We swore we were going to remember this."

"Remember what?" Gaz asked.

"These two are us." Taller Zim said. "From 10 years in the past…"

-To Be Continued

Author's Notes: Okay guys now that you all know what is going on (sort of) I can explain. In the beginning of the next book there is going to be a time jump. In these next few chapters Zim and Dib see the future ten years from now. And in the next book we will start out five years after the current timeline. Meaning the future Zim and Dib will be seeing will happen five years after the start of my next and final installment of this series. I wanted to do this to give you guy a sort of sneak peek into the series. I also wanted to introduce certain OC characters and their personalities now so we could jump right into the final book. I know it's technically cheating but there is a lot to cover and I am too excited to wait.

Again thanks for reading and please review.